William H. Zimmer Power Station

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The William H. Zimmer Power Station, located near Moscow, Ohio, was originally intended to be a boiling water reactor type of nuclear power plant. Although once estimated to be 97% complete, poor construction and quality assurance (QA) led to the plant being converted to coal-fired generation. Today the station generates 1300-megawatts-electric.

[edit] History

Originally expected to cost $230 million, when the cost estimate soared to at least $3.4 billion the decision was made in 1984 to convert the plant. (Regulatory delays and high interest rates also contributed to the cost increase.)

The constructor, the Henry J. Kaiser Company, had never built a nuclear power plant before (or since). And the prmary owner, Cincinnati Gas and Electric, did its own procurement, awarding contracts for equipment, e.g., for hundreds of valves, with inadequate specifications or QA requirements. Piping welds were not adequately radiographed.

Sargent & Lundy was the Architect/Engineer company.

An ex-Navy admiral was hired to bring the plant on-line, and Bechtel was retained to nuclear-qualify the plant. However, Bechtel came in with an estimate of over $1.5 billion (to add to $ 1.7 billion already spent) to adequately complete the plant.

The conversion to coal-fired generation cost just over $1 billion, starting in 1987 and completed in 1991.